Weekend Ar(t)s: The state of zombie preparedness

Survival condos recently sold out in Kansas. Know your options.

During the weekend, even Ars takes an occasional break from considering the state of e-health or salivating over what's at E3. Weekend Ar(t)s is a chance to share what we're watching/listening to/reading or otherwise consuming this week.

One bit of recent, gruesome news is all the Internet needed to restart the zombie frenzy. This pandemonium is nothing new. Any season of The Walking Dead brings out undead-theory subscribers. Certainly next spring's film version of World War Z will too (Brad Pitt + zombies may be the only thing more exciting than, Abraham Lincoln + vampires, right?).

The truth is zombie awareness never really goes away. Rather, it just creeps closer and closer to becoming an authentic part of life. Want evidence? Note the following very tangible options anyone can choose to prepare in light of any zombie interest boom.

Zombie-inspired fitness

The state of zombie speed and agility is the subject of a long-standing debate (see Wired, Slate, USA Today). Survivalists apparently assume the worst: undead armies will move like Olympians and physical fitness will be key to survival. It's the only explanation for something like ZombieFit.

ZombieFit is an exercise class offered in Illinois to, "help you prepare for the impossible, so you will be ready for the improbable." The folks behind this initiative believe in simple skills for success: lifting or throwing heavy things, running fast and far, weaving through urban settings efficiently. If you're not a local, the site offers daily workouts suggestions online that combine cardio, power workouts, and parkour elements to help participants reach peak apocalypse shape. Combine it with, say an augmented reality app like Zombies, RUN, and you should be ready to participate in your first Run for Your Lives 5k (as a human naturally).

If you think 5Ks are spreading, check out the infected version.

Zombie-inspired habitats

Malls, churches, prisons—plenty of structures have been fictionally tested as anti-undead accommodations. Naturally, something had to be put into actual practice and realtors in Kansas stepped up to the plate.

The Survival Condos are fashioned out of a 1960s military-built silo, formerly an Atlas "F" missile base. The original purpose was nuclear safe haven, but based on its features a zombie commune would work quite well. Concrete walls envelop the entire thing, between two-and-a-half to nine feet thick. Between 36 and 70 people can live off the grid in the facility for more than five years. There's a water reservoir with purification system, an air supply cleaned by NBC (Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical) filters, and a military-level security system that requires training for all residents. As Buzzfeed points out, they even have guns in the case of massive hoards (or so we assume).

Full-floor condo suites run $2 million (with half-floor options for half of that), but that price includes the space, the training, the rations, and the peace of mind. Unfortunately, a recent sale is pending that would fill the final vacancies. Seriously.

Zombie-inspired survival guides

It's not worth spilling too much ink over zombie literature since the offerings are varied and vast. But to complete the theme of preparedness, some information on survival is essential.

The most revered has to be Max Brooks' The Zombie Survival Guide. This is the text that spawned World War Z, as well as spin-offs like the The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks comic or this odd deck of cards. It's the most comprehensive text to date; providing a breakdown of historic attacks, differences in zombie traits by type of zombie, and guides to both shelters and weapons. The book turns 10 next year but it's still the go-to zombie field guide.

For a quick, cliff notes alternative...try the CDC. The government agency provides its own official guide. The agency claims it was a tongue-in-cheek endeavor to start, but the guide remains live on the Web. The CDC passes this off: "If you are generally well equipped to deal with a zombie apocalypse you will be prepared for a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake, or terrorist attack." Right. Anyway, tips like how to develop emergency kits or where to access official information follow in graphic novel form. No matter your stance on how ridiculous this may or may not be, at least the government recognizes it's the message that matters, no matter through what medium.